Spiders and snow…

We enter this world, are checked all over and then swaddled in a blanket to emulate the warmth of the womb we have just left.
Today one of my favourite Winter things to do is curling up on the couch in my pj’s and snuggling under a blanket. Or lying in bed, nestled in the warmth, listening to the rain beat down on the roof, blissfully happy in the haven of my cocoon. ( Not so good when you have to get up!)
Blankets are a symbol of security and both my boys loved their baby blankets that Nanna had given them at birth. One in particular loved his “blankie” with a passion and took it everywhere we went, nodding off to sleep with the treasured satin border held tightly in his chubby little fist. I still have that blanket today – it’s tattered and torn and riddled with holes but filled with special memories, making it far too precious to throw away.
Ironically I purchased security blankets for the boys’ first Christmas ( they were six weeks old), one a red Elmo, the other a blue Cookie Monster, wrapped them and placed them under the tree. On Christmas morning my husband unwrapped all their presents ( hey, I’d waited a long time to wrap presents for my kids, so I was starting as soon as I could) while they lay in my arms and watched on. Imagine my horror when he pulled back the paper to reveal a massive huntsman on the Elmo blanket staring up at us with beady eyes. Let me tell you spiders do not go hand in hand with a sense of security and I don’t think those blankets ever saw the light of day after that moment!
My other favourite blanket is of a different kind. A couple of years ago we visited Germany in January, and were lucky enough to experience not much rain, but mountains of snow. One special highlight was the day we visited Neuschwanstein Castle and went for a walk in the surrounding forest. The ground was blanketed in snow, and flakes were gently spiralling downward from the canopy of trees above.The silence was deafening, and it felt we were the only ones on earth. It was a truly magical day and a memory I will forever treasure.

“Security is a thumb and a blanket. Happiness is a warm puppy.”
Charles M Schulz